DeKALB | Duke Burk made a strong case to be nationally ranked as he led the Huskies at the Kaufman/Brand Open on Saturday. The freshman from Peoria got his first tournament win by beating Phil Keddy of Iowa in the 184-pound championship match at the nation’s largest single -day collegiate tournament in Omaha, Neb. Overall, NIU was able to place nine wrestlers at the tournament.

Johnny Galloway finished in the top three for the second weekend in a row in the 165-pound match-ups. Joe Cornejo also earned a third-place finish at 149, marking his strongest showing of the season.

In the elite division, Danny Burk, Duke’s older brother, finished fourth, while Mike Grimes and Pat Castillo placed fifth and sixth respectively.

“We are very proud of Duke and winning his first college tournament,” coach Dave Grant said. “Danny, Johnny, Joe and Pat all had outstanding tournaments as well. Overall, the guys fought hard and wrestled tough today. It was a great tournament for us.”

In amateur division, featuring wrestlers 20 years old and younger, Josh Terrell was able to finish second in the 157-pound championship match. Pat McLemore and Tristen DeShazer also placed, finishing fourth and fifth in the 141-pound and 133-pound class.

After wrestling from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Grant was pleased with his wrestlers in their second tournament of the year.

“The guys who come out there with the competitive attitude do really well,” Grant said. “That’s something we are always looking for and a lot of our guys showed that.”